Whenever my children want to tell me something while I am reading the
Bible, they will slip a piece of paper under the room door so that
they can let me know what they urgently need. And so written in that
paper is their urgent request, which I then respond to depending on
the necessity or urgency of their message.
In our faith journey we find ourselves sending both S.O.S messages and
ordinary day-to-day prayers to God. Since we are encouraged to thank
Him and present all of our requests to Him, we feel free to pray away
everything we need and hope for.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
However, if we try to examine our hearts, we will notice that we are
more emboldened to ask God for help when we know that we try our best
to live out His expectations for us. When we follow His teachings and
commands, and we try our best to honor Him with our actions and daily
decisions.
“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a
worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.” John 9:3
Like a well-behaved child who asks for anything and everything from
His parents without hesitations or reservations, we feel that we can
approach God for help when we try our best to not offend Him. That
same attitude is encouraged of us since Jesus Himself said that we
ought to have a child-like faith in our Heavenly Father.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would
draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
And while our emboldened behavior does not guarantee that the Lord
will give us what we asked for, we are at least guaranteed that we
will get the guidance and wisdom that we need as we go through life.
When we pray for guidance, God promises to provide it.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously
to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5
And so when we are aware of God’s will and presence in our lives, our
prayers will be aligned to His higher purpose. Our prayers will be
meaningful, and it will produce a fruitful existence that will not
only benefit us, but will also benefit those around us.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask
anything according to his will he hears us.” 1 John 5:14
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on Hebrews 4:14-16 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: How do you present your prayer requests to God?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for listening
to all our prayers. Thank you for taking the time to assure us that
you listen, and that you respond according to what is best for us.
Give us the confidence to approach you with anything and everything,
and praying according to Your will. Amen.
